Live blog: Biden admits 'worry' on Ukraine aid

Wednesday, October 4, 2023

1840 GMT —

US President Joe Biden said that he is worried Republican infighting in Congress could hurt Ukraine aid and promised to deliver a speech soon to outline why the US needs to continue to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.

Asked if he was concerned that the United States would not be able to deliver the aid that it has promised to Ukraine because of the disarray on Capitol Hill, Biden said: "It does worry me ... but I know there are a majority of members of the House and Senate in both parties who have said that they support funding Ukraine".

The president also indicated that there was another avenue that the US could use to fund Ukraine aside from the tranches of aid that were getting congressional approval.

"There is another means by which we may be able to find funding for that," Biden said.

1600 GMT — US to send seized Iranian weapons to Ukraine: official

The US is expected to soon announce that it will send seized Iranian small arms and ammunition to Ukraine, a US official said.

US naval forces for years have been seizing weapons believed to be from Iran bound for Iran-backed fighters in Yemen, usually transported by fishing vessels.

A US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said an announcement could come as early as this week.

The weapons are expected to include small arms like guns and are unlikely to make a major difference on the battlefield at a time when long-range weapons and air defence systems are on top of Ukraine's wish list.

The seized weapons being transferred are also unlikely to ease concerns about the continued flow of western weapons to Kiev.

1835 GMT — Germany has no plans to send Taurus missiles to Ukraine - Bild

Germany currently has no plans to supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles because they are not comparable to missiles provided by France and Britain, Bild newspaper reported.

Berlin is also concerned that the missiles could be used to target the Kerch Bridge linking Russia to Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula seized and annexed by Moscow in 2014, the paper said.

Kiev has been pushing Berlin to supply the Taurus missiles, which could give Ukraine the ability to cause significant damage deeper within Russian-occupied territory.

1830 GMT — Scholz says 'convinced' of continued US support for Ukraine

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he was "convinced" the United States would continue to provide support for Ukraine despite political turmoil in Washington.

"I am very convinced that the American Congress will make the necessary support for Ukraine possible," Scholz told reporters in Berlin following a phone call by President Joe Biden to allies on the issue.

1808 GMT — Biden says will give 'major speech' on Ukraine aid

US President Joe Biden said he would soon give a key speech on the importance of supporting Ukraine as political turmoil in Washington threatened to disrupt wartime aid for Kiev.

"I'm going to be announcing very shortly a major speech I'm going to make on this issue, and why it's critically important for the United States and our allies that we keep our commitment," Biden told reporters at the White House.

1545 GMT — Ukraine, Azerbaijan affirm states' 'territorial integrity'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Azerbaijan's leader Ilham Aliyev affirmed principles of states' territorial integrity during phone talks, in the wake of Azerbaijan's takeover of separatist Karabakh.

1535 GMT — Ukraine says hit air defence system in Russia

Ukraine has said it struck a Russian anti-aircraft system in the border region of Belgorod overnight, as Kiev's attacks on Russian-controlled territory intensify.

Since Kiev launched its counteroffensive in June, Russian regions bordering Ukraine have accused the Ukrainian army of almost daily drone strikes and shelling.

An unnamed source in the Ukrainian Security Service source told AFP that its forces hit a "strategic air defence system near the Russian city of Belgorod".

It said this was the second Triumf system Ukraine had hit in the past month, after striking one in Crimea in mid-September.

1200 GMT — Russia foiled major Ukrainian drone attack

Russian air defences shot down 31 Ukrainian drones in a nighttime attack on border regions, the Russian Defense Ministry said, in what appeared to be Kiev’s largest single cross-border drone assault reported by Moscow since it launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine 20 months ago.

The ministry didn’t provide any evidence for its claims nor any details about whether there were any damage or casualties.

It also said Russian aircraft thwarted a Ukrainian attempt to deploy a group of soldiers by sea to the western side of Russian-annexed Crimea.

The force attempted to land on Cape Tarkhankut, on Crimea’s western end, using a high-speed boat and three jet skis, the ministry said.

Moscow’s claims could not be independently verified, and Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment.

0827 GMT — Twelve more vessels to enter Black Sea corridor towards Ukrainian ports

Ukraine's navy said that 12 more vessels were ready to enter a Black Sea shipping corridor on their way towards Ukrainian ports, and that 10 other vessels were ready to depart from the country's ports.

Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk made his remarks as Ukraine tries to defy a de-facto Russian blockade on Ukrainian exports via the Black Sea after Moscow pulled out of a deal in July that had allowed Kiev to safely export grain.

0818 GMT — Russian reporter who protested on TV jailed in absentia

An exiled Russian reporter who protested against Moscow's offensive in Ukraine live on state TV was handed over eight years jail in absentia for spreading "fakes" about Moscow's army.

Marina Ovsyannikova, 45, held up a protest placard during an evening news programme in March 2022, but was sentenced for a separate protest she made outside the Kremlin four months later.

Ovsyannikova, who was not present for the sentencing, fled the country last year after escaping house arrest with her 11-year-old daughter.

In a statement posted Tuesday before the sentencing, she called the charges against her "absurd and politically motivated".

"They decided to flog me for not being afraid and for calling things by their names," she said.

0249 GMT — Russia to conduct emergency public warning tests

Russia will conduct a nationwide test of its emergency public warning systems, letting sirens wail and interrupting television and radio broadcasts with security information.

"A large-scale audit of public warning systems at the regional and municipal levels will take place in all regions of Russia," the Ministry of Emergency Situations said in a press release.

"The warning system is designed to timely convey a signal to the population in the event of a threat or emergency of a natural or man-made nature."

The testing will start at 10:43 am [0743 GMT] and last for one minute.

The goal of Russia's tests is to assess the warning systems and the readiness of personnel responsible for launching them and raise public awareness, the Emergency Ministry said.

"When you hear the sound of a siren, you need to remain calm and not panic, turn on the TV – any publicly accessible channel or radio – and listen to the information message," the ministry said.

0014 GMT — US aid to Ukraine may hinge partly on who takes over as House speaker

Speaker Kevin McCarthy's ouster could signal a shift in the US House of Representatives on aid to Ukraine, with some of his possible successors strongly in favour of assisting Kiev but others staunchly opposed.

There was no immediate indication of who might succeed McCarthy, but the next speaker could quash more Ukraine aid before a proposal reaches the House floor if that person opposes the idea.

The vote to oust McCarthy came just three days after he led the House to pass a stopgap spending bill to prevent a government shutdown that included no new money for Ukraine, highlighting the reluctance of some members of his caucus to back Ukraine funds.

A Ukraine "report card" by Defending Democracy Together's "Republicans for Ukraine" campaign rated the leading candidates on the strength of their support for past Ukraine aid.

Republican opponents of the aid view it as excessive spending and a misplaced US policy priority.

For our live updates from Tuesday (October 3), click here.